Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Finally Arrives

A dune-buggy type car equipped with a massive rear propeller and the ability to deploy a giant fabric parasail when its driver and passenger decide to take to the skies successfully traveled from London to Timbuktu, Mali, in West Africa earlier this year. The trip included successful flights over the Straits of Gibraltar and the Sahara Desert.

The car goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and drives at a top speed of 140 mph. It takes to the skies at 37 mph and soars at 100 mph. If the engine fails mid-flight, the Skycar can glide to safety. Skycars are on sale for about $80,000. First deliveries are expected in late 2010.